Final Fantasy 7 - The sentry Objective CHAPTER 2 - Search and Die

SLAM!

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...

Morning came quickly - a little too quickly. As Zymon spun to look at his clock, which read 5:04 AM, he heard it again. SLAM! This time he jerked up and looked around, a little wide-eyed. The sound was amazingly loud, but it didn’t sound near. He jumped out of his bed, still in his boxers, and ran outside. He glanced to the Seventh Heaven, peering in a window. He could make out Barret and Cloud in there... Marlene was standing next to Barret. Barret was trifling with Cloud over something...

They suddenly stopped bickering. Zymon thought nothing of it and went back inside. They’re crazy... he thought. He knew what they were doing: planning to detonate the next reactor in Sector 2. He wanted to talk to Barret. He couldn’t though. He was afraid of him. The man was huge, impatient, dangerous, and had an eight-barrel machine gun grafted on his arm. Any sane person would stay clear the insane. And Barret was definitely that, in Zymon’s own view.

We walked in his house and shut the door. Not more than five seconds later, he heard it once more. SLAM! Followed by heavy boots trampling down the way. He brought his head up. They’re doing it now, huh? I guess I can get my papers without having to go through him.

He quickly put on a pair of pants and a dusty gray button down shirt with long sleeves. He put his boots on and dashed to the Seventh Heaven, hoping to talk to Tifa more about their “projects.” He opened the door to see only Marlene wiping down the tables. His immediate thought was that she was in the back. “Tifa! You here?” he asked aloud.

       “Tifa went with papa and the others, Mr. Quintin,” said Marlene. Zymon slumped his shoulders a bit. “Say what?” he asked.

       “She wanted to go with them.” She said.

Dammit... I should have known by the smirk on her face last night...

       “We picked up your papers for you.”

       “Thank you... so you’re here by yourself, huh? Is that why you leanred the full nelson last night?”

       “Yep! She wanted me to be prepared!”

       “That was good of her.”

Marlene got him his papers from the back and brought them back to him. He didn’t bother staying for a drink. He was in no mood for that. As he walked out the door of the Seventh Heaven, something caught his eye – Shinra guards! That one moment, a race of images and thoughts rushed into his head. Why are they here? Do they know where I live? Are they here because of the explosion? That’d be even worse. Maybe I should run... no they’d spot that! Better stay calm... look casual... and don’t look in their direction.

Sweat trickled down his head. The Shinra guards never bothered coming into the main Sector Slums before! They usually stayed on the roads leading from one Sector to another, or on the upper city plates.

Finally, he got up his nerve and walked like he normally would. The guards were about 20 yards away, and would have to look rather keenly to notice him. They were eying everyone passing by, but not very carefully. Maybe he could just walk past them... if they saw him; he knew damn well they’d shoot on sight just for the bounty.

Zymon got to his house, walking past his only window next to his door; he glanced in like he normally would. Almost like a reflex, he ducked down at the sight of blue in his home. SHIT! Am I that nervous?? Why did I do that!?

It was then that he also noticed that his door handle had been torn off. Very, very slowly, he crept his head up and peered in the bottom of the window. Sure enough, two Shinra soldiers were searching his house! He’d always made extra sure he was good and prepared for moments like this. But as any fugitive knows, you NEVER feel safe. A new slew of images raced through his mind... interrogation, torture, sitting in that terrible gas chamber, waiting like an impounded dog to die miserably, with a camera pointing in his face for spectators to enjoy. His eyes widened, and he clenched his fists. He looked back in the window, checking over the soldiers. One had a gun hanging on his back. The other was searching his bathroom, too out sight to examine. The soldier with the gun suddenly moved over to the desk.

I guess they saved that for last so they could take longer... he thought. Although it was illegal, it was quite common for Shinra soldiers to prolong search and seizure so they could steal a few choice items in the location. Zymon didn’t have much in the line of stealing. He kept his money on him at all times, and nothing too valuable. The only thing that really worried him was the desk... the things he hid there could make those disturbing thoughts become reality.

Finally, the other soldier came out, apparently having used the bathroom. That’s when Zymon noticed – he left his gun in the bathroom! Probably to lighten the load on his back for a bit. Silly bastard. He thought. While they continued searching, Zymon ran into his neighbors’ Supply Store. Zymon wasn’t used to this, but he’d done it a few times when he locked himself out of the house. Running up the stairs, there was a hole in the floor created by rats. It was huge, big enough for him to squeeze through and enter the house through his bathroom. Climbing down on top of his sink, he noticed the soldier’s gun hanging by its trigger on his towel hook. He grabbed it and snuck out the door, heading for his closet, which they left open. Peering out, he knew he couldn’t fire the gun... the noise would signal the other guards. The armed soldier was still looking around his desk, going through all the drawers. He was becoming impatient.

       “Come on, dammit! There must be something here worth taking!” the soldier hissed out.

       “Fuckin’ poor people...” the other guard cruelly said, as if he was any richer.

Had they just been looking for stuff to take? Zymon laughed in his mind. Well they’re looking in the wrong spot.

Suddenly, the soldier bent down, checking underneath the desk. Zymon was getting nervous again, hoping he didn’t find the loose piece of wood leading to his envelope. He probably won’t... but I still can’t take the chance. I’ve got five years of work in that envelope.

Zymon crept out of the closet too the unarmed guard, thinking about grabbing him. That thought was quickly erased, as Shinra soldiers didn’t give a damn about one another. If he had to, the armed soldier would kill them both. Instead, he crept to his kitchen and grabbed his broken steak knife off the stove. Ever so quietly he crept to the back of the unarmed guard. And, with the butt of the gun, slammed the soldier in the back of the head. The guard soldier crashed to the ground with a loud thump. All at once, Zymon somersaulted behind his torn up armchair as the armed soldier swung around and pointed his gun. Not bothering with his partner, the guard paced toward the chair, gun ready. One step, another, another, another. Zymon was becoming tense in his plan. He one the floor, lying on his back, with his feet up against the back of the armchair.

NOW!!!

Losing all thought, Zymon shoved at the back of the armchair as hard he could. Startled, the soldier tried to jump back. Too late though. The chair fell over on him. Zymon got on top and forced all the weight he could on it. The gun was knocked from his hand, lying about two feet away. The soldier’s wrist was trapped under the chair, and the weight cut off his circulation. Zymon didn’t bother thinking. He took the steak knife and slit the soldier’s throat, digging deep. Blood spattered from the neck and onto Zymon’s shirt. Leaving the knife lodged in the body, he grabbed the other gun shoved the desk over. He grabbed the yellow envelope. The last thing he took was his long gray trench coat. He put it on and threw his new guns and the envelope in the coat, and locked his arms over it to keep them in. As he left, he hoped that the other three guards wouldn’t notice that it was too warm for the coat...

He stalked swiftly towards his store, located right next door to his home. He walked in and started grabbing his stash of Materia. Might as well keep it, since staying there was risky. The soldiers hadn’t gotten to the store yet, but it was probably their next goal. He loaded the whole lot of his stash in a brown bag and headed out.

Next he went toward Seventh Heaven, staying behind the makeshift buildings as much as he could. Then he thought: would my going in there put Marlene at risk? Damn! Maybe I shouldn’t go in there.

It was too late. By the time he came back, he was already standing in the Seventh Heaven bar. Well, to hell with it.

       “Marlene! Can you hide me!”

       “Umm...” Marlene muttered. She was glancing inexplicably toward the pinball machine. She sounded nervous, like deciding whether or not hiding Zymon was a good idea.

       “Please?!” he pleaded with her. Marlene saw the fright on his face, and gave in.

       “Uh, alright! I think it’s okay,” Marlene said. “Go stand in front of the pinball machine.”

       “Huh?” he said. “Well, okay...”

He did as he was told, wondering how that could provide good hiding. Marlene dashed to the machine and pulled a lever in the back. Zymon felt the machine and himself shake, and suddenly lower. The whole section of floor was moving downward. Zymon looked on curiously as a new room was revealed.

       “Step off quickly!” Marlene said from above. He did so, and the platform started moving back up again. “Just stay in there for a while!” he heard her say before the platform once again concealed the room.

Chapter 3

Maintained by:

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